The hosts were rampant with their pace and movement proving too adroit for the flat-footed Sky Blues defence.
First half goals from Stephen Glass, Tommy Smith and Danny Webber were allied to second half strikes from Allan Nielsen and Paul Robinson but a brace of late Coventry goals painted a slightly rosier picture of the visitors' display.
Young striker Webber, on loan from Manchester United, demonstrated his Premiership quality with an intelligent display and was instrumental in Watford's crushing success.
The Hornets were ahead after just five minutes when Webber teed up Glass to slide the ball home.
Smith should have doubled the advantage but skewed his shot wide while Morten Hyldegaard kept out Robinson's close ranger header.
The closest the visitors came to snatching a goal was when player-manager Gary McAllister's free-kick was headed off the line by Neil Cox.
Watford finally increased their lead on 35 minutes when Webber's sublime pass sent Smith scampering away, and this time the forward made no mistake.
Webber grabbed a deserved goal for himself five minutes before the break after a neat exchange of passes.
He turned sharply in the box and expertly curled the ball beyond Hyldegaard.
It remained largely one-way traffic after the interval with Nielsen fluffing a great chance to make it four.
The Danish midfielder made amends on 64 minutes with a composed finish after Robinson's cross found its way into the box.
Robinson then turned from provider to scorer by snaffling the fifth goal to complete the rout and leave McAllister contemplating his first defeat as a manager.
Substitute Gary McSheffrey did plunder a late consolation for The Sky Blues when he planted a header into the corner of the net.
Sky Blues midfielder John Eustace added a further touch of respectability to the scoreline when latching on to a threaded through ball, rounding the keeper and slotting into an empty net.
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Watford 5-2 Coventry
